


One Year

by orphan_account



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Angst, Cheating, F/M, Fluff, Hercules and Maria are only mentioned, Implied Lams, Modern AU, Multi, Parent Death, alcohol mention, death mention, im so sorry yall, only mentioned tho, peggy and laf only appear once, this is gonna be sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 18:30:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12659037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Your relationship with John over the course of a year.





	One Year

**Author's Note:**

> Once more, I am so sorry.

_You laughed excitedly as John all but dragged you down the path, smile wide and eyes lit up with joy. Your boyfriend was usually a very joyful person, but for him to bring you to the park on a Saturday morning instead of sleeping in like usual was definitely new._

_“C'Mon, (Y/N),” he said as he tugged you along, “Hurry up!”_

_“Slow down!” you responded. Nevertheless, you sped up, asking, “Where are we going?”_

_“You’ll see when we get there.”_

_Which happened sooner than you thought it would, as barely half a minute later, John came to a halt. You tried to spot whatever magnificent thing John could have possibly been so excited to show you._

_Off to your right was a large expanse of green, dotted with trees, and children playing with one another as their parents and older siblings watched over them. Farther down the path both in front of you and behind you were people jogging, walking their dogs, taking their babies out for a stroll, or simply walking and talking with friends and family. Finally, several feet away, on your right, you spotted a bench. There were a few leaves on the seat, but it was otherwise clean and empty. John lightly tugged your hand, and slowly pulled you towards it._

_“A bench? You dragged me out here, at ten in the morning, to see a bench?” you asked, sounding unimpressed._

_John sat down and patted the space next him. Once you sat down, he answered your question;_

_“This is the bench my mother sat on when she would bring me to the park. Every afternoon, me and my family would come to this spot, mama would sit, and my siblings and I would play. Papa was never here. He was always….working.” John said._

_There was something about the way he paused and the glint in his eye that made you wonder, but you didn’t have time to ask questions before he started up again. “I went to this bench every day for years. After mama died I couldn’t come here as often, but I still found time. This bench is practically my childhood. So yes, I brought you out here at ten in the morning to see my bench. Because it’s special to me, and so are you.”_

_As he finished speaking, his gaze moved from rest of the park to your eyes. You were stunned by his revelation of how much this bench meant to him. After a moment, you smiled. Then his statement registered and you blushed._

_Your head tilted down as you looked away, and some of your hair fell in your face. John reached out and gently lifted your face so that your gaze would meet his, and brushed your hair behind your ear. Instead of moving his hand away, he reached up and plucked something from your hair. When he pulled his hand back, you saw that it was a leaf._

_He chuckled softly and said, “The leaves are the color of your hair.” He dropped the leaf and looked back up at you, expression soft and loving._

_“I love you, (Y/N).” he whispered as he leaned in._

* * *

One second later, you were kissing him.

One minute later, your head was leaning on his should as the two of you rested on the bench, holding hands and watching people pass by.

One hour later, you were eating lunch and discussing couples costume ideas with John.

One day later, you were both walking hand in hand down the pathway towards the bench again.

One month later, you found something hidden in the nightstand as you were rummaging around for your missing earring.

* * *

_“(Y/N),” John called from the other room, “Alex and Eliza are here.”_

_“I’ll be out in just minute, John.” you yelled back, “I’m looking for my other earring.”_

_You rushed around the room, searching every place it could be, but you came up empty handed. Finally, your eyes landed on the nightstand._

_Occasionally you would take out your earrings before bed and put them there. Perhaps John had placed then in the drawer to clear space. You opened the drawer and looked, but you didn’t see your missing earring. You tugged the drawer a bit, but it wouldn’t come all the way out._

_Fishing your phone out of your purse, you turned on the flashlight and shined it inside the drawer. You quickly spotted your earring and grabbed it. As you did so, your fingers brushed against something soft, but you dismissed it. You quickly pulled your hand out of the drawer and left your phone sitting there as you rushed to the bathroom mirror. You put in your earring and checked you appearance one more time._

_Deciding you looked perfect, you walked back into the bedroom and grabbed your phone. As you went to switch off the flashlight, your curiosity got the better of you. You reached into the drawer, felt around, and grabbed something soft at the very back. When you pulled your hand out of the drawer, you saw that you were holding a small, black velvet box._

_“(Y/N),” you heard Eliza say from the other side of the locked door, “Are you alright?”_

_You swallowed hard and tried to keep from ruining your mascara._

_“I’m fine. I’m coming out.” you replied as you put the box back in it’s hiding spot._

_Dinner that night was wonderful, but you couldn’t get the thought of that box out of your mind._

* * *

One month later, John proposed.

One week later, you had told all of your friends and family about your engagement.

One day later, you were doing some laundry and waiting for John to come home.

One hour later, you had finished laundry and started putting up your clothes.

One minute later, you had stopped to look at your engagement ring, still in disbelief.

One second later, your phone rang.

* * *

_“Hello?”_

_“Hey (Y/N). It’s Eliza. I want to talk to you about something.”_

_Eliza sounded oddly serious. She was always so bright and bubbly, and this sudden change in her attitude worried you._

_“I’m all ears.” you said, bracing for the worst._

_“I’m breaking up with Alex.”_

_Well. That was definitely a shock._

_“You’re what?!”_

_On the other end of the line, you could hear Eliza sigh deeply._

_“It’s a long story. But, uhm, I think….” she trails off, completely silent except for her breathing._

_“It’s okay, Liza. I’m here for you. Take your time.”_

_You hear Eliza take a deep breath before continuing, “I think Alex is cheating on me.”_

_Another surprise._

_“Why do you think that?”_

_“He’s been staying out later, staying gone longer, and he says it’s just for work but I saw his phone. I wasn’t going through it, I don’t do that sort of thing. I just saw it lit up, and the notification caught my eye.”_

_“What did it say?”_

_“The name was Maria, with a bunch of red heart and lipstick emojis. And the message was ‘what time do you wanna meet tonight’.”_

_You heart dropped. You couldn’t believe Alexander would do something like this to Eliza._

_“Liza I’m so sorry.”_

_“It’s okay. I’m hoping it’s just all out of context but….”_

_“But?”_

_“I’m confronting Alex soon. Sometime in the next few days.”_

_“Alright. I’m here if you need me, okay? I can come over and bring ice cream and we can yell at shirt Hallmark rom-com’s.”_

_Eliza’s voice was strained, as if she was crying, but their was obvious gratefulness when she replied, “Thank you, (Y/N). I’d love that. I have to go now, Peggy and Angelica just came in. I think I’m going to tell them and then cry my eyes out.”_

_“Okay Liza, call me if you need me.”_

_“I will.”_

* * *

One second later, Eliza hung up.

One minute later, you were pushing the conversation out of your mind as you made yourself a snack.

One hour later, John came home.

One day later, you were still thinking about your phone conversation with Eliza.

One week later, John told you that Alex had called him earlier, in tears, because Eliza had broken up with him.

One month later, John started going to the bar with his friends more regularly.

* * *

_"It doesn’t bother you?” Angelica asked as she look through the dresses on the rack in front of her._

_“What?” you had asked as you plucked a top of the rack behind her._

_“John going to the bar with Hamilton every night.” she replied. With Peggy and Eliza gone to the dressing rooms, she refused to hold back om talking about Alexander._

_“Of course not. He’s there with Hercules, Laf, and Aaron, too. They’re just being friends and getting drinks. And John is usually the designated driver. And even when he isn’t, he’s barely tipsy when he gets home.”_

_Angelica sighed. “(Y/N), you know what I mean.”_

_“I really don’t.” you replied, a slightly defensive edge to your tone._

_“Hamilton cheated on Eliza and John is still hanging out with him. Doesn’t that raise a red flag to you?”_

_Oh. That’s what she meant._

_“John doesn’t know, Angie. Eliza hasn’t told him, and neither have I. It’s Eliza and Alex’s business if they want to tell him, and they haven’t.”_

_Angelica looked skeptical. “Are you sure Hamilton didn’t tell John?”_

_You shook your head. “John would have told me, because he know Eliza tells me as much about her relationships as she does you and Peggy. I would know if John knows.”_

_Angelica nodded and dropped the subject, turning her attention back to the rack._

* * *

One month later, you had forgotten all about your conversation with Angelica.

One week later, you were making wedding plans with John over a romantic dinner.

One day later, you were out shopping by yourself.

One hour later, you decided to see if John was hanging out with his friends and maybe eat lunch with him.

One minute later, you were rounding the street corner.

One second later, you caught sight of John’s favorite bar.

* * *

_You glanced at the sign above the door before going in. On the far end of the room, you caught sight of Lafayette in the crowd. Being tall had its perks._

_You made your way to the bar and ordered a drink. You waited for the bartender to hand it to you before turning to find your fiance. Despite it not quite being dark out yet, the bar was alive with lights and music._

_You take a sip of your drink and start looking. You can no longer see Lafayette in the crowd, and as you make your way through people dancing their hearts out, you can’t seem to find John or any of his friends either._

_Finally, you spot a familiar head of curly hair and smile. Then you frown. It looked like John was hugging Alex. Which wasn’t unusual, per se, but on a dance floor?_

_Then you saw. Just for a moment, you saw._

_John and Alex were kissing. Alex’s hands had moved into John’s hair, and John’s hands were pressed flat against Alex’s chest._

_You rushed off the dance floor and downed the rest of your drink before sitting the glass back on the bar, ignoring the bartender’s bewildered look._

* * *

One second later, you were rushing out the front door of the bar.

One minute later, you were still running down the street to the apartment you shared with John, tears streaming down your face.

One hour later, you were writing a note for John as the Schuyler sisters carried your belongings to Angelica’s car.

One day later, you woke up to several missed calls and messages from John.

One week later, you had officially moved into the Schuyler home.

One month later, you were ignoring what felt like John’s millionth call.

* * *

_The chilly air nipped at your skin as you walked through the desolate park. Even in boots, thick socks, jeans, and a jacket, you still weren’t warm enough. But you didn’t care about the cold. You walked down the pathway silently, eyes staring straight ahead, concentrating on the ground, with only your destination in mind._

_Leaves were scattered everywhere. Tree branches were nearly bare, leaves of red, yellow, orange, and brown fluttering and falling off in the wind. They distracted you for a moment, flashes of memories flitting through your mind. The memories hit you like a slap in the face when you saw it._

_After walking for nealry a mile through the park, you found the bench. It was made of cherry stained wood and black wrought iron, the seat of it covered in leaves falling from the single tree it sat under. It was a few feet off the path, just far enough that passersby wouldn’t be able to hear quiet conversations. You approached the empty bench, but hesitated for a moment._

_You could see him sitting there clear as day. His freckled face smiling in the sunlight, a leaf in his hair, his hand in yours. You sighed and sat down, the mirage fading away, only for it to return when you closed your eyes._

_You couldn’t take it._

_You walked home._

* * *

One month ago, John stopped trying to contact you.

One week ago, Angelica told you she heard about Hercules, Aaron, and Lafayette dragging a drunken John from a bar.

One day ago, Peggy told you she heard that John left town.

One hour ago, you decided to take a walk.

One minute ago, you sat down on an empty bench.

One second ago, you started sobbing in the middle of an empty park.

_Oh the things that can happen in one year._

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos and comments if you enjoyed this! I’m sorry for abandoning this, but my view of the character has changed and I no longer wish to lay claim to this piece.


End file.
